Indelible
by lenfantdor
Summary: The trial of Severus Snape. One young woman tries to clear Snape's name. Written as flashbacks intermingled with snippets from the actual trial. Takes place over all seven books. No worries, I'll try to make it succinct. Snape/OC
1. Prologue

A/N: Just wrote this on a whim. Probably won't be updated on a regular basis, as I like to write beginnings but get writer's block in the middle. Also, I know nothing about how courts work in the US or the UK, but I was too lazy to properly research them. Sorry. Let me know what you think! Love reviews. No copyright infringement intended.

6/12/11 - edit: I finally decided I was so embarrassed by my utter lack of proof-reading on this one that I had to go back and at least correct some typos.

6/28/14 – edit: needed to tweak some of this chapter (names, mostly) so that I can continue writing this story.

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><p><strong>The Trial of Severus Snape<strong>

The young woman raised her head; her dark hair, thick and lustrous, cascaded down her back. Even in the dim light, the judge recognized her immediately. The ethereal, perpetually grim and serious bastard daughter - Alice Black legally and Alice Malfoy by birth. The small jury to his right murmured, in shock or confusion, he couldn't tell. In the corner of the room, several writers, including the irksome Rita Skeeter, were poised to begin writing - though Skeeter's QuikNotes Quill was already jotting down some notes as she whispered to it, raptly. Judge Iyengar scooted forward in his seat, waiting for soon-to-be-ex-Auror Kingsley to begin. This would be a long trial, and Ms. Black's testimony was likely to span over several days. As Kingsley talked to the Potter boy, the defendant, he watched her, taking careful note of her natural movements.

Her pale skin was more sallow than pictures in recent memory showed. He looked down at one of the pictures given to him by the prosecutor, showing her walking down a London alley in Muggle clothing with Snape; both were smiling and talking animatedly. At present, she looked decidedly disinterested, gazing down dissatisfactorily at the snaking chains that bound her arms to the chair. Her robes were plain black, and she wore a small golden ring on a chain around her neck, the common symbol for Circe. Ipsa duce non fatigaris, he mused. She was obviously pretty, not as beautiful as her mother or father, but he could tell she came from an aristocratic line. Pity she had fallen into the same trap as so many others of that part of society had.

After the Battle of Hogwarts, the Ministry had been in a torrent of change. It was like it was seventeen years ago, worse even. The Ministry was eating itself from the inside out; more and more people being discovered, accused, and admitting to being a follower of You-Know-Who. People had to be tried. Justice must be served. Many known first generation Death Eaters, Lucius Malfoy, McNair, and the Carrows were already in a cell in Azkaban. Others, the younger Malfoy and the Nott boy, had escaped extensive incrimination by providing pertinent information in other trials. Narcissa Malfoy used the last of her fortune to escape prison life. Alice Black's trial had yet to begin; it was slated to start the sixth of August. She had actually appeared at the front desk of the Ministry a week after ending battle of the Great War, clutching a Daily Prophet article torn from the front page. Former Hogwarts Headmaster, Severus Snape, To Be Tried Posthumously; Potter Seeks to Clear Name.

It was the most publicized trial of Ivengar's career. The press was obsessed with Alice, Snape's apparent protege, the public craved the details of the mysterious Severus Snape's life as spy, and perhaps double agent, and most importantly, there was an air of tragedy to the case that attracted attention. Potter vs the Ministry of Magic sought to overturn the evidence piled against Severus Snape. Mr. Potter, continuously sleep-deprived and too busy to stay in any one place for more than a few hours, kept spouting a tale of love and loyalty. The Ministry, and Ivengar, believed the case to be much more complicated than that. The details of Potter's tale had yet to come out, but he was ordered to testify in the upcoming week.

Ivengar blinked at the sudden flash of a camera taking a picture and slammed the gavel down on the hard oak of the table. "Order, order," he cleared his throat, wishing he had asked a page to get him a glass of water. "Mr. Kingsley, Mr. Potter, are you both sufficiently prepared?" It was less a question than a curtesy. "Good." He paused, reading once more the ordinance given to him this morning by Kingsley. "Ms. Black, you are aware that you are currently in custody as a suspected You-Know-Who supporter." He gazed at her left arm, wondering the small trace of black he saw on her forearm was a shadow or a lingering Dark Mark. "As such, you have been in the custody of the Ministry and therefore have forfeited an right to refuse to willingly ingest any mind-altering potions, such as Veritaserum."

She frowned; another flashbulb flashed. "I assumed as much." Her voice was barely audible; the snakes hissed and slithered tighter around her arms, as though sensing her apprehension.

"Good," Judge Ivengar affirmed again. "Bring in the Veritaserum - Formula B."

On cue, a heavily robed wizard marched into the courtroom, bearing a small clear vial on a silver tray. A small stone table rose out of the floor upon which the tray was set.

"Kingsley, could you explain why you petitioned for the Veritaserum and why Formula B was chosen?" Ivengar raised his brow. Formula B was just recently deemed appropriate for usage in a Court of Trials, yet its side effects could be risky on one so young.

Kingsley rose. "Veritaserum was requested as Ms. Black's testimony is perhaps the only testimony available that could provide true insight into the character and motives of Severus Snape. Ms. Black is documented to have spent much of her time with Mr. Snape; there is no one else alive who would be able to speak about the accused from several different angles. Both Mr. Potter and I agreed upon comparing evidence that Ms. Black will be able to talk about Mr. Snape the professor, the spy, and the man. However, I believe that Mr. Snape was not truthful, even to Ms. Black. He was a man of lies, and to avoid even more lies being spilt into this case I requested the use of Veritaserum. It is rare that Veritaserum, which forces the drinker to speak only that which is truthful, is granted to be used in a case such as this. However, I requested Formula B, which was actually created by Mr. Snape himself along with a colleague, the late Charlotte Norton in the late eighties. Formula B enhances memory, and gives the drinker sharp images of memories, no matter how old they might be. For this reason, the Wizengamot voted to allow the usage of Veritaserum Formula B, as part of Ms. Black's testimony is based upon her experience relating back to her first year at Hogwarts." He sat down.

"Formula B also is known to weaken its drinker," Ivengar stated, looking at the already frail Alice Black. "Its use will be limited. We wouldn't want to kill our witness. Do give Ms. Black exactly two drops of the Formula B." Ivengar's almond shaped eyes stared into the young woman's icy glare. "Let's see who Professor Snape was."

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><p>Alice hated Veritaserum. It undid her. She craved control, and as the first drop hit her tongue, she felt it all disappear. Her jaw loosened, she was ready to tell them all. What was her name? Alice Elspeth Black IV, although she did find out in her fifth year that her supposed half-sister, the irresponsible Irina and not Lyra Parkinson, was actually her mother and Lucius, not Regulus Black, was her father. When was she born? Why, September 17 1979, of course. It was a Sunday. Finally, Potter rose and Alice knew she was about to be asked a question she didn't want to answer.<p>

"I want you to tell me about Severus Snape," he said, seriously, looking into her clouded eyes. "Everything you know."

Alice felt faint; light flashed before her eyes. It was so hot. She felt like she was falling. She heaved a sigh, wishing they had provided her with a more comfortable chair. "The first time I saw him," she began, seeing the Great Hall in all its glory, warm and well-lit, in front of her. She was there all over again, in line, waiting to be sorted. She concentrated on a man in all black, analyzing how with the bare movement of his lips, he could send Irina into a fit of laughter, "he was making Irina laugh. I was eleven, waiting to be sorted - I'll need to start from the beginning, further back for you to understand…" She felt uncertain. No one ever wanted to know what she knew, unless it happened to be an answer on an exam at school.

Ivengar made a motion at Potter. Potter nodded. "That's perfectly fine, Alice," he said, using her first name. "Go ahead."

She coughed, eyes filling with tears. "Draco Malfoy was, to my knowledge, my cousin. I spent the remainder of the summer with the Malfoys when Irina left early to go to Hogwarts…"

The courtroom listened silently, hanging on her every word. Every pause felt like an hour, and every line Alice gave betrayed the years of knowledge she had gathered from observing and analyzing those around her. Iyengar leaned back into his seat, hoping that her testimony would shed some light on this case, and establish Snape as a definitive hero or villain.


	2. Exposition

A/N: Just gonna go ahead and apologize for the slow start to this fic.

Any suggestions about where you'd like to see the plot go let me know, I have the skeletal structure of the fic set up, so there's no changing that, unless I'm really excited by your idea, but I _love_ hearing suggestions from readers.

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><p>Alice quietly ruminated on where to start. What must they understand? What could she hide, even with the pressing force of the Veritaserum on her vocal chords? They had to understand her past; how she thought. If they didn't understand her, they couldn't understand the relationship she had formed with Severus. The words that followed this thought were never meant to leave her mouth, but once she started to speak, she found it impossible to stop.<p>

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><p>"I have been trained in the art of going unnoticed. Having been born a nuisance – as something that impedes others from doing as they wish – I learned very early on my life was easier if I stayed out of the way. I was raised to be a lady and a 'Pureblood,' but I was also instructed that I was a mistake born out of foolishness, and, therefore, it fell upon me to be as unimposing as humanly possible.<p>

When I came to Hogwarts, my life and my perception of myself changed forever. My need to fulfill the expectations of others did not expedite the process, but the people I met while at school taught me that the word _family_ had absolutely nothing to do with blood.

Hogwarts was breathtaking – I remember the first time I ascended the castle's stairs and felt the warmth of the Great Hall. It was at once overwhelming and spectacular. I was particularly preoccupied with how I looked and thoughts of my sorting. I hoped to be unremarkable, as I didn't enjoy the sensation of being watched. I was also interested in my sister Irina, who, much to the distaste of Lucius, taught alchemy.

I knew only a little about Irina, despite being her only remaining immediate family. She was rarely at home, and the Malfoys, who had practically raised me when Irina was at Hogwarts, had me convinced she was the devil incarnate. She worked (at a school, no less!). She was unmarried. She had no notion of duty, only desire. And, having been so indoctrinated, I very much agreed. On more than one occasion, I could recall her suddenly abandoning me during summer vacations. In the Black Forest of Germany, along the Seine in Paris, skiing in the Swiss Alps – at any given moment, she could check her magical, silver wristwatch and disapparate on the spot, leaving me for "business." In spite of this, I admired her for her fortitude of nature and grace; she was my older sister, and I would have worshipped her, if she would ever let me.

So, when I entered the Great Hall, I was very much interested in seeing Irina at her place of work – something she valued more than me and made certain that I knew it. Under a cluster of floating candles, she practically glowed as she laughed and chatted to a thin man in black robes. I turned my attention to his thin, yet imposing figure. He had a grim frown on his face and continued to entertain Irina with a few small movements of his lips. I narrowed my eyes, uncertain how such an traditionally aesthetically displeasing man who glared daggers into his goblet could be so entertaining.

'What are you gawking at?' Draco asked and I could hear his eyes rolling; before I had a chance to reply he said, 'Look, there's that prissy boy, Potter. I want you to never talk to him. He's not one of us.'

The sorting hat began to sing from its wooden stool, and I could see a small boy with messy black hair eagerly crane his head over the students in front of him to get a better look. He looked… inconsequential and, quite frankly, unimpressive for someone known as The Boy Who Lived (Sorry, Potter).

Draco was my only cousin, and despite his arrogance and vanity, I felt close to him. He had a habit of trying to assert authority over me, and I made it my habit to let him know he would never be in any such position. And, I think, because he viewed me as his equal, his threats to 'tell his father' were always empty.

'I can talk to whomever I wish, Draco,' I replied quietly, careful to keep my voice low and avoid the attention of Professor McGonagall.

'Don't think just because we're at Hogwarts now you can do whatever you want, or you'll end up like _Irina_.' "


	3. Irina (edited 11-2-14)

Edited 11/2/14 - sorry for the reupload; didn't see the replace chapter option before it was too late.

"What your beauty erected was demolished by your actions; from the former I understood that you were an angel, and from the latter I know that you are a woman." - Don Quixote, Miguel de Cervantes, 1605 C.E.

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><p>~Irina~<p>

In what context did you know Irina Parkinson?

"I had considered Irina my friend and colleague," said Minerva McGonagall, visibly distressed at the question. "But certainly not anymore – and that's not because she's dead, I'll have you know."

...

"Professor Parkinson? Er, she winked at me once," said Ronald Weasley. "I mean – that's got nothing to do with anything. I just – I dunno… She wasn't really seen often, unless she was chasing after that cat of hers, was she?"

...

"Irina was my biological mother," Alice Black carefully enunciated, looking like she was taking a great deal of time picking her words – which in turn caused another dose of Veritaserum to be administered. "Irina was my mum. But I would never have guessed, the way she treated me."

...

"Do I really have to answer this question? … Oh, for Merlin's sake… Well, if you must hear it said aloud…. I had a daughter with Irina Parkinson. It's Alice Black, she's sitting just over there." Lucius Malfoy let out a sigh of annoyance and continued, "We didn't get along and she almost ruined my marriage countless times. I would call her a cunt, but she lacked the depth and warmth to be one."

...

"Professor Parkinson?" Hermione Granger repeated, looking a little surprised. "To be honest, I only knew she was quite gifted at alchemy. I read her papers, actually. I never thought - I never suspected... She didn't seem like someone who would be particularly keen to be a Death Eater."

...

"Can't help you there," said George Weasley, somber-faced and grey. "Yeah we spoke a bit, reckon she liked us because we made her laugh. She laughed a lot."


End file.
